Courtesy drawing
This drawing from the Artists of the Seacoast Calendar 2009 shows skaters of bygone days enjoying the pond near what is now Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth. A group is hoping to bring skating back by building a $300,000 rink.

PORTSMOUTH — Puddle Dock Pond At Strawbery Banke.

The name conjures up images of an old Currier & Ives print, and that may be precisely the point: Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke is the proposed name for a new skating rink that organizers hope to open at the famed Portsmouth museum in December of 2013.

The idea for the $300,000 project was announced just a week ago at a meeting of the Friends of the South End group, but has been in the works since last fall. A committee of about 15 people have been meeting regularly since then, and now the group is planning on bringing a formal proposal to the Strawbery Banke board of directors on Monday, Jan. 4.

Jeffrey Keefe, a financial planner at Whole Wealth Management, has an office that overlooks Strawbery Banke. He is one of several area residents who proposed the idea more or less at the same time last year. Keefe now sits on the committee and is one of its most public supporters.

“I have long dreamed of an ice-skating rink in the city of Portsmouth,” Keefe said. “I've always skated on ponds and rivers and I think that Strawbery Banke would be the perfect spot.”

To say that he is excited may be an understatement. “It's one of the biggest things to come along in Portsmouth in a long time,” he said.

Cynthia Harvell, Strawbery Banke's Vice Chairman of the board of directors, also said that while the idea for a skating rink at Strawbery Banke, which is located in Portsmouth's South End, has been percolating for some time the time seems right to make it happen.

“There has always been the idea that it would be great for Strawbery Banke, but we haven't always had the momentum or the leadership to get it going,” Harvell said.

She added that while there is a high level of enthusiasm for the new project among board members, she cautioned that discussions were just beginning and the project still needs to be approved.

According to a press release issued by the group, Strawbery Banke President Larry Yerdon said that winter was a quiet time at the museum, and the open field — a common in the center of the museum that is surrounded by the colonial homes and structures that form the basic attractions at Strawbery Banke — is where the rink will be located.

Because of that, Yerdon is quoted as saying that leadership at Strawbery Banke is “working with residents to address any concerns about parking and noise.”

According to Harvell and Keefe, the rink has an estimated cost of $300,000 — this is not a definite figure — but Harvell said that amount was to simply “open the doors.” There will be operating costs to help upkeep the rink, which they hope to operate from December through March. The rink will only be up during the four months of operation; it'll be dismantled during the warm months.

Keefe said he envisions a combination of programs that require fees as well as skating times that are free and open to the public. The committee has been working with the city recreation department to develop some programs for the rink, and there are proposals for various ancillary attractions, such as a fire pit, a viewing area and even a small restaurant so that skater's can grab a snack.

The group has started raising funds, and hopes to announce future fundraising efforts in the upcoming weeks.

Harvell said the proposed rink is a perfect fit for the mission of Strawbery Banke. “We have three prongs: preservation, education and we are a gathering space,” said Harvell. “The ice skating rink touches on that mission.”

Keefe and Harvell both said they recognize that the Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke is a good idea, but it's going to take something more to make it a success.

“It's going to have to be a community effort,” Keefe said.

Anyone seeking to assist with the effort in any way is encouraged to call Strawbery Banke President Larry Yerdon at 603.433.1103.